Ross Nave Photography

Tuesday, May 2, 2011

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“In Russia, we like extremes.” ~Natalya, CCS Program Director

Whether it is the income gap or the temperature difference going from inside to outside, it has been quite obvious that the Russians do not leave much for grey area.

According to the literature I have read about the Soviet times, the Russians have become very accustomed to keeping to themselves and being very skeptical about other people.

To me, it seems there are still many remnants of the Soviet culture engrained in the people. Several people in my group have dubbed Russia the land of the silent. As you walk down the street, you will notice that many of the people appear to be gloomy or very rigid. Since I am a foreigner here, I am often nodding or smiling at people as they walk by to try to feel welcomed, however, it is rare to get a reciprocal nod or smile.

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Even the cities themselves have a similar feeling. Most of the streets and buildings are covered in a layer of dirt. In fact, there seems to be dirt everywhere. And although the woodwork and windows of the houses are very intricate and beautiful, they are not maintained and cared for. As you go down a street, these houses almost appear to be abandoned, but if you look close enough, you can see that they are still inhabited. I realize that much of this stems from lack of funding and coordination during the Soviet era, but it confuses me because it seems like it would not take much to clean the outside of the houses and maintain the surrounding property.
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However, once you get to know the people here, they are very warm and friendly. Last night, Monday, May 2, 2011, Gilberto and I were walking down the main street and noticed some people having car problems. The car did not seem to be starting. So, Gilberto and I decided to try to help. We pushed them to allow the driver to “push start” the car. We got the car running and everyone in the car was joyful, the driver pulled over and left the car running to give us a very warm thank you. The hospitality and the accommodations are also very warm and friendly. Our on-site staff will bend over backwards to please us.

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So, going from initial impressions to getting to know the people, the differences do seem to be quite extreme.